The saddest of days in Schleswig (phelps shows up at soldier's funeral)

[leQ]

Denison, Ia. — Sgt. Casey Byers, 22, of Schleswig never got to meet his 5-month-old daughter, Hailey, before he died in Iraq.

(snip)

More than 600 people turned out Wednesday for Byers' funeral, held at the Iowa National Guard Armory in Denison.

(snip)

About 50 yards away from the funeral, six protesters held signs that said such things as "God blew up the troops." All six were relatives of the Rev. Fred Phelps of Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas. They contend that God is punishing the United States for bombing Phelps' church a decade ago.

The group has held similar protests at soldiers' funerals in Idaho, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Illinois. It plans to go next to Kentucky.

(snip)
"It's completely uncalled for and disrespectful," Kittle said. "They should have enough respect for the family to start with that they lost a son in the war and he's now a hero. But then to lose another son within two weeks, and (for the protesters to) still show up is the most un-American thing I can imagine."

source: the des moines register

i had no idea phelps was going around showing his ugly mug at soldiers' funerals too. clearly, this 'reverend' has no shame.

that last paragraph nearly brought a tear to my eyes.

[Solly Mack]

1. Isn't this the soldier whose brother committed suicide just recently?

Wonderful...way to go, Phelps. Just keep adding heartache...

It is the same family.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1573545

[hlthe2b]

2. Alan Colmes interviewed him on his radio show a few days ago...

(I just go XM radio a couple of weeks ago and Colmes remains on the AAR lineup, for now)

The guy is just crazy--every question, he just rambled on and on about God punishing the US for bombing his church (no one diet when it occurred many years ago)followed by homophobic hate rants. When Colmes kept trying to ask him why he would protest the death of a young female soldier in some small town (he has followers going to lots of these funerals), after many many many attempts, Colmes sort of got him to admit that he didn't think she was gay and that it was seen as the best way to get the message out. Basically though, his crazy, all over the board, hate rantings seem particuarly motivated from his anger at having his church bombed. Any TOpeka folks know any detail about when that occurred? I get the impression it may have been decades ago?

I don't know if there is any place that archives his radio shows, but this interview is pretty revealing if you can stomach it...

[liberal N proud]

3. My dad was talking about this the other day

His brother was killed in a car accident a couple of days before the funeral.

[Hobarticus]

9. They just ruled it a suicide yesterday...

He had suddenly popped up out of a ditch on a country road into the path of a truck.

No car nearby, nowhere near his home. Left no note, as far as I've heard.

So very sad.

[Enraged_Ape]

4. Keep pressing your luck, Freddy

One of these days, a family member of one of these dead soldiers, crazed with grief, is going to smack your dentures down your throat.

In the meantime, you're keeping the words "soldiers" and "funerals" in the news, which does far more to help our cause than it does yours.

[comsymp]

5. That's exactly what the Phelpsies are hoping will happen

Keep in mind that several of his spawn are lawyers - they live for the possibility of litigation and, consequently, more publicity for their little hate cult. So, naturally, the more offensive they are, the better the chance of pushing someone into initiating a physical confrontation.

[colonel odis]

6. can't sue someone if you're in a coma.

[BiggJawn]

7. So get in a shouting match with them and claim you "felt threatened".

THEN clean their clock.

Some times doing what's RIGHT is more important than doing what's LEGAL.

Ask Walter Reuther and Lec Walessa.

[comsymp]

11. Don't disagree about right vs. legal

Problem (to me) is, they still get the free publicity AND the opportunity to claim "persecution"... which means more $$ and, even worse, some sympathy for their "cause."

Decking 'em would be easy and certainly satisfying, but personally, I'm still in favor of more creative options, and strongly believe in the effectiveness of ridicule, when dealing with these asshats.

But that's just me~

[BiggJawn]

15. Ridicule is much more fun.

Takes a cool head to keep it up until the other guy melts down and you can laugh at him imploding, though...

[AllyCat]

27. Apparently the best way to get him to take his little act home is to

laugh at him. Someone here said that he gets really upset. I say we stage a counterprotest and then hold up a big sheet to shield them from the family and laugh. Just laugh until your ribs hurt. Point fingers at him and his idiot goons and have someone call the cops for good measure.

[Enraged_Ape]

22. No jury in the country, civil or criminal, would side...

with an a$$clown like Phelps over the grief-stricken family member of a dead United States soldier. Everyone, including the wingnuts, knows that he had it comin'.

[comsymp]

24. Gawd, I hope you're wrong

I'd like to believe that they'd side with the law (hey, we've all gotta have our dreams, right?). And the law is pretty clear on assault, and pretty strict in its interpretation the fighting words doctrine.

But that isn't even the main concern, as I see it. The fact that it would be a media circus, with The Usual Suspects at Faux, CBN, Hate Radio, etc., bleating on and on and ON about another example of Christian persecution, followed by Reptilian push-polling... it would just be a mess which, regardless of the outcome of the trial, would be a net gain for Fundie Asshats everywhere.

[Enraged_Ape]

28. There are exceptions for "crimes of passion"

Sure, assault is illegal, but if I fully goad you into striking me in circumstances where you cannot be in your right mind, I better be prepared to explain my actions to a jury-- because they're not gonna like it, regardless of "who struck first".

And if such an incident did occur, no way could it be played in favor of the Repukes. They have played the "support the troops" card far too often to spin harrassment of the families of dead soldiers.

[megatherium]

8. phelps and company don't really believe this crap, do they?

They're just saying/doing anything for publicity.

[youspeakmylanguage]

10. Phelps may be sick...

...but what does it say about us as a civilized society that we give him so much press and free publicity?

[Bridget Burke]

12. It's hard to ignore someone who disrupts funerals.

Not talking about him won't make him go away.

[youspeakmylanguage]

13. Loonies disrupt events all the time...

...yet I don't see prominent talk show hosts interviewing them on a regular basis.

Part of me enjoys the publicity he's getting, since he is invariably getting associated with the homophobic right in general. But we have become a society that rewards the worst of mankind with publicity and media attention.

[Occulus]

14. One of these days,

and NO, I am NOT advocating this in ANY way, but one of these days, he's going to pick the wrong soldier's funeral and someone will open fire upon him and his family.

[Pinko]

16. Somebody should stage a counterprotest

[ucmike]

17. a counter protest in the form of a runaway truck, maybe

counter protesting would only add to the cirus enviroment outside a soldiers funeral.

[Pinko]

26. That's true

The last thing I would want to do is to add to the suffering of the funeral goers. I just have a feeling that something must be done.

[Mz Pip]

25. Michale Moore did

Michael Moore had a show a few years back on Bravo, called "The Awful Truth."

In one episode he brought a whole bunch of outrageous gay people to one of Phelp's rallies. In a pink bus, no less. It was hysterical to see the Phelps crowd's reaction. Priceless. :evilgrin:

Mz Pip
:dem:

[ernstbass]

18. Where is the damn taser when you really need it?

[The Night Owl]

19. Hmm...

[AndyTiedye]

20. So How Come Phelps Gets More Publicity Than All the Anti-War Protests

...that we had trying to prevent the Iraq war from happening?

100000 people taking to the streets should be hard to ignore too,
but the Rethuglican media seems to be up to the task.

The DSM, Plamegate, Halliburtongate... would seem rather hard to
ignore too....

[Mari333]

21. Fred Phelps embodies the essence of right wing fundamentalists

Therefore he is the prime example of them, and when he's held up to media spotlight, he shows what they are really like. A gay friend of mine told me this, just let him keep doing what he is doing, because he represents the dark soul of the right wing, the most evil essence of their being.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

23. God Bless Fred Phelps!!

I mean it. Every time that raving git opens his mouth, somewhere in America, one person inclined toward fundamentalism says, "Jesus Christ, do I really agree with this moron?" I want Fred Phelps to have a weekly television show so that everybody in America can see what the right-wing evangelical dogma can lead to.

That being said, anybody who gives their life in defense of their country, no matter if we agree or disagree about the nature of the conflict, deserves respect and dignity.

[donco6]

30. I think we should donate air time for him.

Let's have him broadcast live on Friday or Sunday night. Let him say whatever he wants. At the bottom of the screen, we have a crawl, "Fundamentalist Christian, Fred Phelps".

Best strategy we could follow.

[Orsino]

29. Insufficient courage to picket the White House.

More right-wing blaming of the victims.

[MadisonProgressive]

31. Phelps is a messenger of death and destruction.